Review – Mad World by Kate L. Mary

Posted June 28, 2019 by Carole in 2019 Audiobook Challenge, Audiobook, Book Reviews / 2 Comments

Please note – This review will contain spoilers for the 
previous books in this series, Broken World and Shattered World.

Mad World by Kate L. Mary
Narrated by Hillary Huber and Patrick Lawlor
Series: Broken World #3
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Date Read: June 24, 2019
Length: 9 hours 28 minutes
Source: Author
★★★★☆

Vivian and Hadley find themselves in a situation that is even more threatening than the dead walking the earth. Kidnapped by armed men and taken deep into Las Vegas, they’re cut off from anyone who cares about them and thrust into a world so sick and twisted that it can only be described as madness. With little hope of being found, Vivian and Hadley must team up with one of the very men who abducted them if they have any hope of escaping their new nightmare.

Watching Vivian get thrown into the back of a van almost tears Axl apart, and he’s determined to find her no matter what it takes. With the tension growing between him and Angus, Axl finds himself wondering if the price will be his relationship with his brother. Putting both old and new wounds aside, Axl and Angus must infiltrate the group holding Vivian and Hadley and make their escape through a zombie-ridden Vegas.

My Review

This was such a good book!  Once I started listening to this book, I did not want to put it down.  At this point, I am going to have to admit that I have become slightly obsessed with this series.  That is a good thing.  A very good thing.  I am completely invested in this group of characters and really want to see them flourish despite the horrendous world that they must live in.  I really had a wonderful time with this book.

One thing that was a little different about this book as compared to the previous two is the fact that we get to see not only Vivian’s perspective but Axl’s as well.  I do have to say that it did take me a minute to adjust to another point of view and a second narrator but I found that I really ended up appreciating that second point of view.

This is not a feel-good story.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some moments when things actually work out for the characters but overall this was not a pleasant tale.  This story is set in a world where the dead walk the streets but the real enemies are often other survivors.  This story illustrates some of the evil that humans can do to others but it also shows the strength of people put in the worst situation.  I love the fact that despite the fact this group of characters always have each other’s backs and try to do the right thing.

I do love the characters in this book.  It was great to see the progress in the relationships between the characters.  There were a few character losses that broke my heart just a little.  I have a lot of respect for this group that never gives up even when things seem to be at their worst.  There are a lot of really terrible things that happen in this installment so these characters are definitely tested in this installment.

I thought that Hillary Huber and Patrick Lawlor did a great job with the narration of this book.  I was a little surprised by the addition of the male narrator but I think he did a great job of representing Axl.  The two narrators did a great job with all of the characters voices and I thought that they added a lot of excitement to the story.

I would recommend this series to others.  This is the third book in the Broken World series which is a series that really does need to be read in order.  I found this story to be both heartbreaking and hopeful and can’t wait to find out what happens to this group of characters next!

I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author.

About the Author

Kate L. Mary is an award-winning author of Adult, New Adult, and Young Adult fiction, ranging from Post-apocalyptic tales of the undead to Speculative Fiction and Contemporary Romance! Her YA book, When We Were Human, was a 2015 Children’s Moonbeam Book Awards Silver Medal winner for Young Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fiction, and a 2016 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal winner for Young Adult Science Fiction. Her book Outliers was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2018 Author Academy Awards for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction, a Finalist in the 2018 Wishing Shelf Book Awards, and the First Place Winner in the 2018 Kindle Book Awards for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction. Tribe of Daughters was recently named as an Honorable Mention in the 2018 SPR Book Awards.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

2 responses to “Review – Mad World by Kate L. Mary

  1. This is on my radar now and I want to try to get to the series. We will see. Excellent review.

    Anne – Books of My Heart